Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-07-30
SOCIETY OF THE SOLITARY.
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Now Bsiss Fousts Over.
Chambcrsburg Corr. OF tho N. Y. rimcs.
Tho preliminary procceedings In . suit ios
eieotmsut have beea commenced In u,
courts Of franklin county, which viii psobs
bly, be the lest chapter In the history OF on,
OF the most singular religious ever forme,
| Ia this country-A history having 10 begin
Ming In l7la In that year the moshe
church OF . sect calling itself First Day
Bapsists, or DunkerA owing 10 persecution
In the various European countries. WherS
II had from time 70 time sought refuge sincG
the year l7Os when II was founded BY Alex.
ender Asck and seven others In Sch warsd.
zenain, Germany, emigrAted TO America
The greater part Of the bunker emigrsnts
settled In Lancaster county, this stats
Among them was German named Conrad
Besssl. He had been . Presbyterian, but
Dunkers. In the course Of his invessieasion
OF the scriptures the establishment
Of . Flrst Day Baptist church at Muelbech.
or Mill Creek, Lancaster county, Beissei BE-.
came can n convlncsd that there We. an error in
should be the Lords Day, snd
nnounced that It should be the sov.
enth day. This led TO much discussion and
me many Y. Of ne seciety q MIN Greek accepted
point In l725 ho published pamphlet sss.
oog forth his reasons for his belief. The pam.
phlst called down on his head the strong
aHaasppsovsi ~. Of the head. Of the First day
trsce OF him could he found for more than q
year, and then he wss discovered by scci.
dent by one Of his disciples living In con.
trscted cave or cell on the bank: Of the Co
occupied BY an aged hermit named Elime-
lech, who had died.
lmmediately following the discovery Of
Beissel bis followers left the Mill Greek 20.
solitary cottages, In imitation of the solitary
life OF their apostle. They formed Q church,
the doctrines OF which were similar to that
Of the society they he'd left, except that they
Bsi:.si also urged but did no. snioros
. life OF celibscy on bis followers. He
formed what was known, ~ the " Society OF
the Solitary, and In 1893 Q conventional life
vow OF eelibacy and become memts . . Of
in the %s:n.,n. seen sn'':s,y erected. na:ips TSss
garb OF the Cspuchin or White Friars IVES
who entered the convent. Monastic names
were given to all those who chose the
cOteter, Beissel becoming Freidssm Got.
trecht or Peaceable God right The place
where this peculiar society obtained its foot.
hold was Ephrata. The con vent was erected
on hill called Mount Zion. Subsequently,
other building were erected - the needs and
new features OF the society demanded them.
Like the First Day Bsptists, they rscog-
nized the strict and literal Interpretation Of
the Bible - the only rule OF faith, adminis-
tered Apostolic baptism, with trine immer.
sion and the laying ON OF hands and prayer
while the recipient still kneeled In the
water, and celebrated the Lord: supper et
was at sunset ON the seventh day, at which
supper they washed one anOther's feet, -
the orthodox Dunkers do still. While
presching celibscy - virtue they did not
Tho convent life OF i,eissel's followers who
chose the Society of the Solitary was OF the
severest kind. The cells were but 20 inches
wide and the ceilings but 8 feet high. A
the couch OF the inmate OF one of these cells.
The paseages that led through the convent
were % narrow that two could not pass In
them The fare OF the inmates was fruit and
vegetables. They ate from wooden plates
and drank from wooden goblets. In l74O
there were IS members OF this Society Of
the Solitary.
The secular branch OF Belssel's Dunkss's
men1 ct that time In the country. They
owned paper mill, grist mill, oil mill, and
f1lling mill. They established . printing
ofhce, the second outside OF Philadelphia In
books, psmphlets, tracts, and hymns The
work on these books, both A. to printing
and binding, was superior. Among the
rar0st treasures in the state library ct Hsr.
German publications.
In ESs Conrad Beissel died. The society
ieli into the control of men who had not his
disinterested piety, and In III 1t began to
decline. In . few years jealousies and
schemes arose Leading men in this society
lett 1t with strong following and founded
similar churches elsewhere, and soon the
Society OF Ephrata was no more Among
those who left Efhrata WAS Andrew Schnes
berger. With good share OF the parent
society he came to franklin county in the
latter part of last century. He purchased Q
hue property on snow Hill, In Quincy
township, where he erected Q large convent
member of the Society Of the Solitary him.
sell. but he WAS the prior OF the new church,
which kept closely to the principles Of the
Ephrata society. The Snow Hill society b.
came the head of all the Beisselite Dunkera.
anu the nunnery, - 1t came TO be called, was
nearly hlled with those adherents OF Beissel
Who accepted fully his views on celibacy.
The secular branch was large and prosperous.
They called themselves Seventh Day Bsptists,
tic branches were controlled by the prior.
All the land and the buildings belonged Tn
the prior, who had eight children. In 1879
he made each of his children an otfer of
had against bis estate The offer was accepted.
In 1873 he transferred the property to ive
trustees, to be held In trust for the society
forever. Schneeberger died soon afterward,
began TO decline. The inmates grew old and
died. None OF the younger members of the
society seemed inclined to take on them
vows OF celibscy. Now and then the nun.
merry would receive . new inmate from the
older members Of the society, but even the
aged preferred the privileges Of the secular
branch TO the severe restrictions Of the Soli-
tary.